


frozen in velvet

by lucete



Series: ⋆brevityworks⋆ [3]
Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Light Pining, M/M, and they were ROOMMATES, brief mentions of sleep paralyis, oh my god they were roommates, swoo realising that wanting to kiss n curl up with seok isnt platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26244511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucete/pseuds/lucete
Summary: It doesn’t matter how many nightmares come to plague him; Wooseok will always be there to brush them away.
Relationships: Han Seungwoo/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin
Series: ⋆brevityworks⋆ [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899343
Comments: 16
Kudos: 44
Collections: Challenge #5 - Lullabies and Dreams





	frozen in velvet

**Author's Note:**

> seungwooseok is softness

He wakes up shaking.

It’s not the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last, but despite Seungwoo knowing all too well the scope of his nightmares — he can never quite get accustomed to the way his hands tremble when he pulls himself out of them.

Seungwoo thinks it’s quite like losing a loved one. Over time one can get used to the absence, but the grief remains intact.

Or something like that. His brain is always addled after a round of sleep paralysis.

It’s some time past four in the morning. He has to be at the cafe in a few hours for opening and has back to back lectures all afternoon. Seungwoo contemplates throwing himself off his apartment balcony for a couple of seconds before deciding against it. They’re only on the fourth floor so he’d probably end up in more pain than it’s worth.

He shuffles his way out of his room and makes his way to the kitchen, hoping Wooseok remembered to replace the chamomile tea when it was his turn to grab groceries. To Seungwoo’s dismay, all he can find is earl grey and peppermint. He kind of wants to melt into the floor.

As he glances between the two tins in his hands, contemplating his wellbeing, sleep schedule and stomach lining, Seungwoo misses the gentle _creak_ of the bedroom door next to his.

“Seungwoo hyung?” a croaky voice calls out into the darkness of the kitchen.

Seungwoo’s exhausted brain replies with a, _“Yes, paralysis demon?”_ before he realises the voice is coming from his equally tired looking roommate across from him.

Wooseok’s hair is in utter disarray, sticking up in all directions except neat, and his eyes are sleep swollen into tiny slits. He rubs at one with the back of his hand while he looks (squints) at Seungwoo in a shirt that’s far too big for him. Seungwoo realises that it’s probably _his_ shirt, and his heart warms at the sight.

“Hey,” Seungwoo pulls his lips into the most convincing smile he can manage. “Did I wake you?”

Wooseok drags himself over to the cupboard where Seungwoo is and crouches down. “I heard some noise. I figured you were having trouble sleeping again.”

“Sorry,” Seungwoo murmurs sheepishly. “I thought I was being quiet.”

Wooseok hums, rooting around the back of the cupboard. “No, you were. I just have a sixth sense when it comes to you.” He lets out a small _aha_ , pulling out a tin before Seungwoo can ponder on what he just said. It’s chamomile. Perfect.

“I couldn’t fit it in the cupboard so I just left it in here. Good thing I came here before you picked peppermint. That would’ve woken you up instead.” Wooseok grabs two tea bags and a pair of mugs.

“I wasn’t going to pick peppermint.” (He was.)

“Sure, hyung.”

Seungwoo purses his lips and puts away the tea. “All the tins fit fine in here, you just couldn’t reach it.” He sticks his tongue out at Wooseok, who rolls his eyes.

“Do you want me to make this tea for you or not, hyung?”

Seungwoo grins and nods as Wooseok busies himself with the kettle. His hair really does look ridiculous so Seungwoo brushes his hand through the locks, trying to settle the mess. It doesn’t quite work, but Wooseok leans up into his hand and Seungwoo thinks that makes it worth trying.

“You’re like a kitten asking for pets,” Seungwoo giggles. He runs his hands through Wooseok’s hair a few more times before Wooseok turns to scowl at him.

“I get enough of the cat comparisons from Seungyoun. Can’t I be free of them in our home?”

Seungwoo tells his heart not to flutter. _Our home._ Heh.

Seungwoo feels at peace like this, blowing at his tea with his shoulder brushing Wooseok’s. It’s a comfortable domesticity pooling like honey in his stomach; Seungwoo wishes he could live in moments like these forever.

After a few minutes pass, Wooseok finally asks him, “What did you dream about?”

He asks him every time, with no judgement, but Seungwoo always feels the hot flare of embarrassment hit his face when he does. But he also feels more settled after talking to Wooseok and they’ve known each other too long to beat around the bush.

“It wasn’t as bad as some of the other ones,” Seungwoo admits. “I was swimming in an ocean with no land around. All of a sudden a wave crashed over me and I went under. Every time I tried to get to the surface, I kept being pushed down. Deeper and deeper until I couldn’t breathe anymore.”

“That’s when you woke up?”

“Yeah,” Seungwoo sighs. “Some time after that. I don’t usually have drowning dreams, so this was something new.”

Wooseok clicks his tongue and fixes Seungwoo with a hard stare. “Do you think you’ll be okay getting back to sleep?”

Seungwoo hesitates. “I’ll be f—”

“Do you want me to join you?”

Seungwoo pauses for a moment. It wouldn’t be the first time Wooseok curls up with him after a particularly bad spell. But after Seungwoo started getting a handle on his nightmares, they haven’t had much reason to. And yet—

“Will that be okay?”

“Of course,” Wooseok chuckles, slipping an arm around Seungwoo’s shoulders. “I offered.”

* * *

When the mugs are washed and the pair are snug under Seungwoo’s duvet, Wooseok turns to him with an unreadable expression.

“What is it?” Seungwoo whispers.

“Hyung,” Wooseok starts. He scoots closer to him so their knees touch. “You know you can ask me to stay with you whenever you want. You don’t have to hold back.”

Wooseok lets his head drop onto Seungwoo’s chest and he instinctively circles his arms around him.

It’s hard, holding Wooseok close to his heart. But he can’t find it in himself to let go.

_You don’t have to hold back._

He presses his lips to Wooseok’s forehead and holds him tighter.

Maybe tomorrow, he’ll finally tell him.

**Author's Note:**

> [seungwoo vc] yeehaw thank you for reading! please drop a kudos & a comment if you enjoyed!!
> 
> reveal time!! feel free to pop over to [twt](https://twitter.com/sacrifighting) or say hey on [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/lucete)!! thank you very much 💛


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